In late May, Saint Kitts and Nevis completed the process to adopt the Inter American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) Convention on Protecting the Rights of Old Persons and Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities.

Saint Kitts and Nevis has become the 13^th nation to adopt the convention on older persons since it was adapted by member states of the Organization of American States (OAS) in 2015 and “seeks to promote, protect, and guarantee, the full recognition and exercise of the human rights of older people.” By signing on they have agreed to implement legislative, administrative and other measures to eradicate violence and discrimination against older persons.

For the Convention on Persons with Disabilities, is the first international legally binding agreement in the world adopted in 1999 and the federation has become the 20^th country and the second CARICOM country after Haiti to sign. The convention “reaffirms that persons with disabilities have the same fundamental rights and freedoms as other people.”

Meantime, Her Excellency, Dr. Mutryce Williams, Permanent Representative of Saint Kitts and Nevis to the United Nations, represented the two islands at the United Nations 18^th Conference of State Parties to the Convention on the Right of Persons with Disabilities. Its purpose was to advance the right of persons with disabilities and is a platform for the exchange of best practices and the advocacy for improved socioeconomic conditions for persons with disabilities.